How much development potential?

Sapindus

I own and live in the red property. The blue property is privately rented. I would like to buy the yellow portion which is currently completely overgrown with young trees, nettles, brambles, rubbish, and fenced (with a gate) from the rest of their garden. Owner of blue property is not selling, which is fine, but I'm puzzled as to why not.

I have vehicular access, just about, to my frontage but blue does not. Even if he bought some land from the other neighbour (who likes to park their cars in the road out front), there is no dropped kerb and there is a Diamond Cable manhole in front of the property. Also there is a restrictive covenant on the bit of my frontage where the boundary goes at an angle to allow access, with financial clawback for any development requiring planning permission.

What I can't work out is what the owner of blue is thinking - he is quoted as saying he can see why I want to buy the land, for the same reason he wanted to buy my house when it was on the market (but it seems he pulled out, possibly because of the covenant). So I assume he thinks it would be feasible to somehow build another house in this back corner.

46 and 48 are council rented bungalows so not likely to be on the market any time soon.

I can't work out if he thinks he will be able to develop once his current tenants leave, or he's waiting for me to sell so he can buy my house after all, or he thinks if I bought the land I'd be able to develop and he doesn't want me to.

It's just bugging me!?

Section62

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6673452/how-much-development-potential

I can't work out if he thinks he will be able to develop once his current tenants leave, or he's waiting for me to sell so he can buy my house after all, or he thinks if I bought the land I'd be able to develop and he doesn't want me to.

It's just bugging me!?

Unless you develop the ability to read his mind you'll probably never know. It could be "just because".

If red and blue got together then there is probably enough land at the back to build a pair of semis, with a driveway for all four properties along the existing red/blue boundary line.

The alternative might be for red to get a bit more land - for example your yellow triangle, which would allow a pair of semis to be built on the extended red plot alone… albeit the existing red dwelling would need to be demolished. As yours is a semi it wouldn't be as straightforward to demolish as if it were a detached property, but by no means impossible to do, and to make a profit from the development.

What I can't work out is what the owner of blue is thinking

The owner of blue may be thinking "I can't work out what the owner of red is thinking"

sherlock228

let the guessing game begin, blue does not…

• trust how to value it,
• need the money,
• like you
• supports having environmentally green spaces for wildlife

Sapindus

"

The owner of blue may be thinking "I can't work out what the owner of red is thinking"

"

Ha ha yes I think this may play into it - why would I want to add a scruffy bit of wasteland to my already huge and slightly scruffy (to some eyes) garden! He's thinking I've got a devious money-making plan and isn't selling on principle.

bobster2

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82043152#Comment_82043152

Add to that list - blue thinks you might stick some sort of structure in that space (e.g. shed office / gym / spa) that blue doesn't want to have to look at (or have overlooking his garden).

Bigphil1474

Why do you want to buy it then? If blue can't work it out and we can't , it would suggest the vendor is right to be suspicious.

Boohoo

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82043284#Comment_82043284

I was going to post the same thing more or less.

You could both get rid of some of your gardens and build 2 dwellings and share the profit that is if you can get planning permission.

Sapindus

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82043284#Comment_82043284

I bought a house with a big garden because I wanted a big garden to do gardening in, and a bigger garden would be even better. I did say when I first approached him that I didn't want to build anything on it or do anything that would detract from the value of his land, I just want to extend my garden which at that end is basically an orchard anyway.

bobster2

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82043301#Comment_82043301

Even if blue believes that you don't want to build anything on it - what about someone who buys your property if you sell?

Dustyevsky

Some people don't wish to see others prosper, or maybe they fear change.

When we decided to use access rights our property possesses, a goodly proportion of neighbours objected, despite the proposed access not being visible from any homes. Even when written confirmation from the LA showed it was permitted development, some still complained. After it was built, exactly to plan, a further complaint was made.

All of these people assumed, rightly, the extra access could enable us to sell an outbuilding for development as a single property. Given there are 15 properties in the hamlet, the impact would be negligible.

We've not sold the outbuilding. Perhaps we never will. Some of the neighbours still won't speak to us. To their minds, it seems, we did something wrong. C'est la vie!

RelievedSheff

If I was the owner of the blue property I wouldn't sell that land either.

It would make for an odd shaped garden for no conceivable benefit.